Detroit ex-mayor moves into $309,950 home in Texas

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has moved into a $309,950 home in Texas, raising questions about the small restitution payments he's making to the city.

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has moved into a $309,950 home in Texas, raising questions about the small restitution payments he's making to the city.

Local 4 Defender cameras were in Grand Prairie, Texas, which is not too far from Dallas, and found Kilpatrick’s new home. When Kilpatrick first moved to Texas, they lived in a mansion in the posh suburb of Southlake, then moved to a four-bedroom home in Grand Prairieand now to an even larger home.

The Kilpatrick’s new residence has over 5,000 sq. feet, five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a granite kitchen and vaulted ceilings. The home was recently listed for $310,000 and would rent for about $2,900.

In Detroit, the former mayor still owes the city more than $800,000 in restitution, but his attorney defends the move to the bigger home. Local 4 Defender Hank Winchester spoke with Kilpatrick’s attorney on the phone.

“This is a family of five, what do you want them living in, a one bedroom home? You’re living here in Michigan, if you take that house and put it here in Michigan it may be a $2 million home, this is Texas,” said Daniel Hajji, Kilpatrick’s attorney.

A Dallas based realtor revealed the home Kilpatrick is now living in recently sold, but was unable to name the buyer. His attorney said he believes Kilpatrick is just renting, but said he’s not sure if a friend ora family member purchased the home.

Kilpatrick recently worked out a new payment schedule for his restitution saying he can only afford to pay about $160 a month. Under the current plan it would take Kilpatrick about 450 years to pay back the city of Detroit.

Kilpatrick sent Local 4 a statement on the move. "It's true that the new home is bigger, but our costs have slightly improved, and we are working to reduce them even further."

A spokesperson for Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said the prosecutor’s office will be looking into the financial details of Kilpatrick’s recent move. Authorities here also want to know why money from Kilpatrick’s book is not going into the court ordered escrow account. A hearing on the book profits is set for later this week.

Copyright 2011 by ClickOnDetroit.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

The views expressed below are not those of Click On Detroit, WDIV, or its affiliated companies. By clicking on "Post," you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service and your comment is in compliance with such terms. Readers, please help keep this discussion respectful and on topic by flagging comments that are offensive or inappropriate (hover over the commenter's name and you'll see the flag option appear on right side of that line). And remember, respect goes both ways: Tolerance of others' opinions is important in a free discourse. If you're easily offended by strong opinions, you might skip reading comments entirely.